As the Season 1 finale of "Missing" gets closer, new twists and turns are being introduced at an increasingly rapid pace. In the most recent episode viewers discovered that former CIA agent Martin Newman was not the loving, caring Godfather of Michael, but instead was in on the plot to kidnap him, all the time working with the enemy. In a recent exclusive interview, Keith Carradine, who portrays Newman, discussed playing the newly revealed bad guy and what traits he shares in common with his character.
Keith Carradine Thought Playing Martin Newman Would Be Fun.
When Carradine was initially approached to be Martin Newman, he was hooked immediately. He said, "I've always been a fan of this genre -- tales of international intrigue. And when they gave me a thumbnail of Martin Newman, that he was a former CIA and living in Europe, I said, 'Well that sounds like fun.'"
He continued describing his first day on the set and meeting with executive producers Gina Matthews and Gregory Poirier. "[They] actually sat down with me and said, 'Here's who you are, and here's who you're going to turn out to be.' And I said, 'OK, this is terrific.' I loved the idea from the get-go."
Keith Carradine Learns the Twists With Each New Script.
Despite being let in on his character's big secret on day one, he was unaware of the details. He noted, "I was told by Gregory Poirier who [Martin] was going to turn out to be. But the intricacies of how all of that was going to be revealed, I wasn't privy to until I received each subsequent script."
Carradine mentioned that knowing the true identity of his character was essential in doing his job. "I did understand the overall design of it. So that as I was playing the role, I had the information I needed as an actor to be able to go into each scene understanding who I was, and the nature of what I was doing in terms of how I was relating to the other characters in the piece."
Keith Carradine Prefers Playing Bad Guys.
It was the nature of this plot twist, the villain pretending to be a hero, that was most intriguing to the actor. In fact he confessed that he prefers portraying the not-so-nice guys. "Oh, bad guys are more fun. Bad guys are always more fun. Every actor will tell you that. Well, most actors will tell you that. I don't know about every actor. There are those actors who never play bad guys because they know what works for them. But I like the variety. I've played both, and I must say that playing a juicy villain is good fun."
In real life Carradine does not have much in common with bad guy Martin, but he could think of a few traits they share. "I have also had a life of international adventure. But not because I was in the CIA, only because I made movies, and I spent a lot of time making them in Europe. So I'm somewhat well traveled. I have a cursory command of Italian, Spanish, and French, so I can get by when I travel…. And Martin is a writer, and I do appreciate literature."
But he pointed out, "That's where the similarities end… Beyond that, that's really where we part company. I'm not possessed of the venality that Martin is. He's a pretty venal guy, and it's led him into a very dark life."
To see just how villainous Martin Newman turns out to be, watch "Missing" on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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